Stenographer s note-book



(No Model.)

B. F. STUART. STENOGRAPHERS NOTE BOOK.

Patented Nov. 2

MW P M m am Hdiigzsses UNITE STATES BENJAMIN F. STUAR ATENT rrrcn.

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STERNVOGRAPHERS NOTE-BOOK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 592,893, dated November 2, 1897.

Application filed June 25, 1897.

To all whom it may, concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. STUART, a citizen of the United States, residing at \Vaco, in the county of McLennan and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Stenographers Blank Book, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a combined notebook and copy-holder adapted particularly for the use of stenographers, artists, and others, and capable of being arrangedin a standing or upright position to serve as an easel, the free or outer edges of the stiff front and back covers resting upon a suitable support and being connected by flexible means to hold them at the desired deflection, in order to maintain the surface of the note-book or tablet at the proper inclination for transcribing. notes and analogous purposes.

The object in View is to-provide a connection for the covers whereby they may be automatically secured at the desired relative inclination without fastening the tape, cord, or ribbon forming the connection, and, furthermore, to provide meanswhereby the adjustment of the covers, attained by straining the connection, may be accomplished from either side of the tablet, thus adapting either side of the tablet to be used as the front or inscribing surface, it being common to use the reverse sides of the leaves of a stenographers tablet or note-book after having used all of the leaves consecutively upon one side, thus causing the former back of the tablet to become the front.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide means of attachment for the flexible connection to the covers of the tablet or notebook whereby said connection is positively and efflciently guided with the minimum wear of the parts, and hence with the minimum deterioration in use; anda further object is to provide means whereby the frictional contact of the guiding devices with the flexible connection may be varied to take up any looseness due to wear of the contacting parts.

Further objects and advantages of this invention, will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended Serial l\l'o. 642,299. (No model.)

Inth'e drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a blank book constructed in accordance with my invention, arranged as an easel. Fig. 2 is a vertical central sectional view of the same. same folded. Fig. 4 is a detail transverse section of one of the covers, taken in the plane of one of the guides, for the flexible connection.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding pa'rts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 and 2 designate, respectively, the front and rear covers of a tablet or note-book, which serve to protect the opposite surfaces of the interposed leaves, said covers being hingedly connected by any suitable means. Extending between intermediate points of the covers is a flexibleconnection 3, which in tlie construction illustrated consists of a tape, cord, or ribbon, preferably cross-sectionally flat, and the means attached to each cover for guiding this connection consists of a keeper 4, preferably constructed in the formof a the cover and are deflected or bent laterally, as shown at 5, to engage the inner surface thereof. The tapeorcord forming the flexible connection passes between the keeper or clip and the contiguous outer surface of'the cover and is held thereby in frictional contact with the latter. The amount of resistance offered to the movement of the flexible connection through either of the guides is dependent upon the pressure of the clips or keepers, and this pressure is variable by clenching or bending the extremities of the clip more or less. The frictional contact is preferably made of suflicient stress to maintain the connection at any adjustment to which it may be brought manually in order to prevent accidental displacement or disarrangement of the covers when the tablet is arranged in the upright or easel position illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, but'the pressure of the guides should not be sufficiently severe to prevent the manual adjustment of the connection to Vary the position of the tablet-covers. In case of looseness of the connection in the guides, this being liable to occur after continued use of the tablet, the guides may be tightened by striking claims.

the clips with a harm the bent extremities of Fig. 3 is a perspective viewof the clip, of which the extremities extend through mer or paper-weight to produce any desired resistance to the movement of the connection. In other words, the tightening of the guides may be accomplished by the consumer or user of the tablet, and hence the consumer is enabled to adjust the device in this particular to suit his or her particular preference.

Obviously the connection may be rigidly or permanently attached at one end to one of the covers and adjustable only at the other end through a guide or keeper on the other cover, but it is preferable to construct a device of this class so that it may be reversed to use the rear or reverse sides of the leaves, and as it is more convenient in adjusting the tablet to its easel position to adjust the connection by drawing on an end contiguous to that cover which is adjacent to the operator I prefer to provide a guide or keeper on each cover. With this arrangement the tape or cord is adjustable to vary the relative positions of the covers by drawing upon either end of the former, and in order to prevent the ends of the tape or cord from slipping through and escaping from the guides or keepers they are provided with enlargements, (shown at 6,) as by folding or doubling the material of the tape or cord upon itself.

By reason of the special construction of guides herein disclosed the extremities of the flexible connection are arranged exteriorly of the cover, and hence are accessible at all times without opening or displacing the covers, and when the tablet is opened to arrange the covers in the easel position said extremities of the connection occupy positions between the planes of the covers, and hence are accessible to vary the adjustment of the connection.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having claim is- 1. A tablet having a cover which, when closed, serves to protect the face of the tablet, and when opened back serves as an easel-support, a flexible connection between the back of the tablet and said cover, and a guide on the cover through which said connection extends, the guide having opposing surfaces to described my invention, what I bear frictionally upon opposite sides of the connection to resist movement of the same therethrough, one side of the guide being movable to vary the interval between the said opposing surfaces, substantially as specified.

2. A tablet having a cover which, when closed, serves to protect the face of the tablet, and when opened back serves as an easel-support, a flexible connection between the back of the tablet and said cover, and a guide on the cover through which said connection extends, the guide including a clip having a transverse portion arranged contiguous to a fixed surface, and movable toward and from the plane of said surface to vary the pressure of said transverse portion and the fixed surface against opposite sides of the connection, substantially as specified.

3. A tablet having a cover which, when closed, serves to protect the face of the tablet, and when opened back serves as an easel-support, a flexible connection between the back of the tablet and said cover, and a guide on the cover through which said connection extends, the guide including a keeper or clip terminally engaging the material of the cover and clenched or bent laterally to bear against the inner surface thereof, substantially as specified.

4. A tablet havinghingedlyconnected front and rear covers adapted when folded to protect the faces of the interposed leaves, and when opened serve as easel-supports,guides including keepers or clips engaged respectively with the front and rear covers at intermediate points, and having their extremities turned down upon the inner surfaces thereof, and adapted to be bent to a greater or less extent to vary the pressure of the exterior portions thereof toward the planes of the covers, and a terminally-enlarged flexible connection extending through said guides, and held thereby in frictional contact with the contiguous surfaces of the covers, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN F. STUART.

Witnesses:

P. 11. BURNEY, J. M. VAUGHAN. 

